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'Star Wars: Episode VIII' starts filming

Posted: Feb 15 2016 10:15AM CST

Updated: Feb 15 2016 01:00PM CST

NEW YORK (AP) — "Star Wars: Episode VIII" has begun filming and has added Benicio del Toro and Laura Dern to its cast.

The Walt Disney Co. announced Monday that "Episode VIII" started principal photography at London's Pinewood Studios on Monday. Written and directed by Rian Johnson, the "Star Wars" sequel will follow J.J. Abrams' box-office smash "The Force Awakens." It's set for release in December 2017.

The production start announcement was accompanied by a brief video that showed shooting picking up right where "The Force Awakens" left off, with Johnson directing Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker) on a remote island off the coast of Ireland.